Index.



B [L LE (HAa Patentd lllly 25, |399.

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(Application led July 28, 1$98.)

(No Model.)

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E Nonms grans c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

BAILEY DUKE GRAS, OF NEIN ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE BRANDON PRINTING COMPANY, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

INDEX.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent NO. 629,573, dated July 25, 1899.

Application tiled .Inly 28,1898. Serial No. 687,087. (No model.)

To all whomy t may concern:

Beit known that l, BAILEY DUKE LE GRAS, a citizen ofthe United States, and a resident of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Indexes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention is in the nature of a self-in-y dexing construction whereby accounts may be carried forward from day to day by the insertion of cardboard, paper, or other slips in the margin of the leaf on the index tab or portion; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions 'and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure l isadiagrammatic view illustrating the adaptation of the invention for use by lumber-manufacturers. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the adaptation of the invention for use by a merchant or banker; and Fig. 3 is a det-ail view illustrating the index-tab and the removable-slip construction, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the construction shown the book has its leaves A suitably lined for the business for which they are designed, and they are provided With the index portions or tabs B, which receive the index-slips C, as shown. By preference I provide a series of the index-slips O on each portion or tab B and to such end arrange such tabs to receive the slips O and with spaces D between the adjacent slips to receive the names of the parties to Whose accounts the entries on the succeeding slips re-' late. I prefer to secure the slips removably to the tabs and to this end provide the tabs' B with slits E, in which the opposite ends of the said slips are introduced. The slits E are arranged in pairs, and the spaces D for the entries are arranged between the adjacent pairs .of slits, as shown. It will be noticed that the slips may be readily removed and in-1 troduced,so they can bc conveniently changed at will.

The index portions or tabs project over each leaf, and they may be multiplied to any number required to suit the different purposes to which the book may be put.

The uses of this book are/general in their character, covering bankers, merchants, manufacturers, and all other business in which a general self-indexing account-book is desired. For example, (see Fig. 1,) a manufacturer of lumber receives an order for one hundred thousand feet of lumber. The iirst column after the date-column will show one hundred thousand feet, which is the amount of the order. The next column will show the amount ofthe order which has been shipped-to Wit, forty thousand feet-the next column the balance necessary to complet-e the orderto wit, sixty thousand feet. Now this sixty thousand feet will not only appear on the page of the book', but will be carried out by the use of a slip on the index-tab, so that at all times the manufacturer may see at a glance the quantity of lumber he will have to manufacture to fill the order he has on hand. Again, say a merchant has an account against a patron of one hundred dollars. The first column after the date-column (see Fig. 2) will show this amount, while the next column will show the amount the patron has paid on his account-to Wit, forty dollars-andv the third column will show the balance-sixty dollarsdue on the account. This balance will also be carried on to theindex1nargin of the book by means of the removable slip, so that at a glance the merchant may at all times know the total amount due him by his customers and justhow any account on his books stands.

Theinvention mayalso be used by bankers, the first column after the date-column to loe used for debits, the second for credits, and the third for balances, the balances at all times being in the body of the book and also carried forward on the small slips on the index and changed from time to time as the balance in the account changes. These slips may be numbered to correspond with the day of the month on which they are used, and thus form a complete check as well as prevent errors. As the balance changes a new slip may be inserted. At the end of each day the total checks may be taken and deducted from the former days balance. To this foot ing will be added the deposits of the current day, which will give an absolute balance of the days work. Should an error occur, it can 'to indicate saine.

be readily traced, as each account that has been changed during the day will be indicated by the date on the slip. Vhere an accountis dormant, a colored slip may be used New accounts bearing the same alphabetical beginning of names can take the place of dead accounts. Where the balance is a credit balance it will appear in black ink and Where a debit balance it will appear in red ink. The slips in the inargin will show the condition of an account on the index Without having to open the book to ascertain the saine, as the name of the account` is indicated on said index. The necessity of paging this' book is obviated, as its self-indexing feature does away with this necessity. This index is applicable to all manner of business, merchants, and inanufacturers, county,-State,and United States accounts, bankers, and banks--in fact, for all purposes Where accounts are kept bythe debit-andcredit system, and the knowledge of the debitand-credit balancing is of importance.

It will be noticed that the slips iit at their ends in the slits, may be readily removed when desired, and yet are self-retaining in engagement withV the tabs or index portions of the account-sheet- Each pair of slits secures a strip, and the several pairs are spaced apart suliiciently far to receive between them the entry ol the naines of the parties to the transaction. Such spacing of the pairs of slits also prevents the weakening of the pages, which would result from producing the slits too close together.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The improved index herein described consistin g of the sheet having the index-tab provided With the series of slits arranged in pairs, the slits of each pair being parallel and such pairs being spaced aparty for the entry of the names of the parties to the transactions and the slips fitted and held at their ends in the-opposite slits of their respective pairs, the end edges of the slips being inclined forming points to enter the 'parallel slits, the names of the parties being permanent on the tab adjacent to the pair of slits in which the slips corresponding to said parties are respectively held, substantially as sct forth.

BAILEY DUKE LE GRAS. Vitliesses:

V. KONDUK. XVALTER PERsAc. 

